257 replies to this topic

[phragle]

The best part are the fools that are dropping him to 5th or lower in their rankings. Really? Below Tazawa?

What? Link please.

[TheGoldenGreek33]

Just some tricks over at SP.

[TheGreatHarryHooper]

Just in case anyone missed it (or was watching the ESPN broadcast instead of NESN)... Ryan was at Fenway tonight in the Sox box.

http://espn.go.com/b...nd-in-the-house

Glad to see him up and about.

[The_Powa_of_Seiji_Ozawa]

Just in case anyone missed it (or was watching the ESPN broadcast instead of NESN)... Ryan was at Fenway tonight in the Sox box.

http://espn.go.com/b...nd-in-the-house

Glad to see him up and about.

I know it was major surgery not long ago and it's supposed to be a long recovery, but he did look pretty messed up during those moments they showed him tonight. Not sure about the reason for the big sunglasses, and it appeared he had some motor issues and some weakness on one side of his mouth when talking.

[Snodgrass'Muff]

That's not surprising considering they essentially just cut something out of his brain. I imagine it'll take time for him to regain normal motor function regardless of how well the surgery went. If he's still suffering from impaired motor function like that in three or four months, I might start to worry. But this soon after the surgery, I'm not reading too much into it.

[BrazilianSoxFan]

From the ESPN chat with Joe McDonald : http://espn.go.com/b...h-edes-mcdonald

Sam (Westford, MA)

is westmoreland going to play in the minors this season or stay on the DL

Joe McDonald (2:36 PM)

Sam, Actually, I have a story about Westmoreland that should be on the site very soon. I spoke with Ryan's dad on Sunday night and there's no timetable when he'll be able to return. First and foremost, the family, doctors and the Red Sox want Ryan to have a quality life and everything after that would be a bonus. Put it this way, if there's anyone who can come back strong from this, it's Ryan Westmoreland. I've been very impressed with him and the REd Sox are handling the situation the best they can.

[TheGreatHarryHooper]

The story is up...

http://sports.espn.g...m...&id=5058259

It includes the detail that Ryan is doing his rehab over at Spaulding. My dad worked with the neuro unit over there after a severe stroke, and those people are amazing at what they do. Best wishes to Ryan for a full recovery--

[Kull]

The story is up...

http://sports.espn.g...m...&id=5058259

My favorite:

"He's very determined. He's a strong kid," said Westmoreland. "I think his health and his age only helps him. It's amazing to watch him come out of therapy sweating. He's been working hard. I've been with him in therapy a couple of times and the therapist will say, 'Ryan, do you want to take a break?' and he'll say, 'No. No break.' He'll work as hard as he can for the time they have allotted to do whatever it is. He recognizes the progress that he makes."

Westmoreland recently asked his son how he was feeling, and the response the father received didn't surprise him.

"I'm going to be in Portland next year," Ryan said, referring to Boston's Double-A affiliate.

Who knows how it will all play out, but this kid absolutely has the "right stuff".

[BrazilianSoxFan]

His agents released a press release from his parents. Some quotes:

“We greatly appreciate the privacy that we have had to this point. This privacy has allowed Ryan to focus entirely on his rehabilitation and we believe this has helped him make significant progress in a short period of time. The next few weeks are very important to Ryan’s recovery. We prefer to maintain this level of privacy until Ryan is further along in the rehabilitation process. We appreciate your understanding.

We have always been very proud to be Boston Red Sox fans, but over the course of this time, that pride has increased ten-fold and is unrelated to the game of baseball. The ownership, management, staff, players and fans have shown a genuine compassion, sensitivity, professionalism and thorough support which has proven to be immeasurable. We are so fortunate to have their support and hope that knowing this, all of Red Sox Nation can realize this same pride in rooting for such a caring organization.

http://sports.espn.g...moreland-family

[Cumberland Blues]

More progress for the kid - he's out of the hospital.

http://espn.go.com/b...tation-hospital

[threecy]

It's none of my business, but I'd be very interested to know what the Sox think Westmoreland's recovery potential is.

[Dionysus]

It's none of my business, but I'd be very interested to know what the Sox think Westmoreland's recovery potential is.

At this point, I imagine it's still too early for them to even guess. The only concern is his quality of life. As far as baseball goes, I imagine they are currently running on the assumption that they will not be getting Westmoreland back to baseball and adjusting plans for the farm and the team accordingly. He may recover fully, but at this point even laying odds seems silly.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love a 100% Ryan Westmoreland back as much as anyone, but who really cares? As long as he can live a full and happy life, its a win.

[anastn]

but who really cares?

That's a nice sentiment, but it seems a little silly. The only reason you, me, and the Sox FO even know who Ryan Westmoreland is is his ability to play baseball. Whether or not he plays again (and at what level) is relevant.

[JimEdSF]

That's a nice sentiment, but it seems a little silly. The only reason you, me, and the Sox FO even know who Ryan Westmoreland is is his ability to play baseball. Whether or not he plays again (and at what level) is relevant.

Caring and relevance are two very different things. The poster cares; you do not. That's fine. Ryan Westmoreland is relevant to SOSH because he plays baseball but it does not actually matter how the poster, or anyone else able to invest themselves in the well-being of those they do not personally know, is aware of Ryan Westmoreland.

Silly > Supercilious

[anastn]

Caring and relevance are two very different things. The poster cares; you do not. That's fine. Ryan Westmoreland is relevant to SOSH because he plays baseball but it does not actually matter how the poster, or anyone else able to invest themselves in the well-being of those they do not personally know, is aware of Ryan Westmoreland.

Silly > Supercilious

So you know big words like supercilious but don't understand that someone can both care about Ryan Westmoreland's general health AND his ability to play baseball?

I considered whether what I was posting added anything and then reread Dionysus's response. It came off heavy-handed, meant to shoot down people who think like threecy in the name of caring. "The only concern is his quality of life." Who can argue with that?

threecy asked a valid question. He probably won't get an answer because no one knows, but it'd be sad if he didn't because after Dionysus's post someone didn't want to come off as a callous prick.

What did you add?

[ypioca]

Top Red Sox prospect on mend

Westmoreland, who would have probably started this season in Greenville, if not diagnosed with his illness, is ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation.

[...]

“We all got to a point as an organization where we were just caring for his family. We know Ryan is a very goal-oriented kid. That is the way he was all of last year. I think what is driving him and what is allowing him to make such great progress in his rehab is he is determined to play baseball again.“

I think that is what has been expressed among all of us to keep in touch with him, send messages and stuff like that just to know that we still care about him. He follows the Greenville team. He follows Salem on the computer. The Red Sox have set up a feed for him so he can see the games from the centerfield camera off his computer. He has a long way to go, but nobody in the organization puts anything by this kid.”

[BannedbyNYYFans.com]

Top Red Sox prospect on mend

That's the best thing I've read all season.

[O Captain! My Captain!]

That's the best thing I've read all season.

This is really cool. Great article.

The Red Sox have set up a feed for him so he can see the games from the centerfield camera off his computer.

While Westmoreland's health and quality of life are obviously the most important things to worry about, it's certainly important to have goals, especially when recovering from something as serious as this. For someone as competitive and goal-oriented as a serious athlete like Westmoreland, I'm sure having something like this to focus on has to be awesome for his spirits. Really great of the Sox organization to do this.

[threecy]

Thank you for posting that article...in terms of baseball, I think this is encouraging:

"I talked to him (Sunday)," Ruiz said. “He has a great attitude. He is making a lot of progress and should be back sooner than people expected. Just being able to come back at all is going to be a great accomplishment. I know he can do it, and he has the attitude to do it.”

[SoxScout]

The Sox and Westmoreland are holding a conference call tomorrow at noon.

[pjr]

The Sox and Westmoreland are holding a conference call tomorrow at noon.

Encouraging story on projo.com.

http://www.projo.com...v3.1aca512.html

Westmoreland and Colameta were tossing the ball at short distances. “[Ryan] said, ‘Alright, I’m just going to throw it,’ ” Colameta recalled.

Dugan looked up to see the ball sailing high and far. The old Ryan Westmoreland was suddenly right there in front of him — the kid who could throw a 93-mph fastball, the athlete who excelled at two sports in high school and had baseball scouts raving about his seemingly inevitable future in the major leagues.

“All of a sudden, he was throwing, and he just threw a bomb over Charlene, all the way over the fence, into the woods,” Dugan said. At moments like that, Ryan Westmoreland believes that his dream of playing in the major leagues really will come true.

“I can throw again,” Westmoreland said. “It’s not there yet

[BannedbyNYYFans.com]

Per Bradford at WEEI.com

Speaking via a conference call with his father, Ron, and Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, minor league outfielder Ryan Westmoreland said his "progress has been amazing" in coming back from surgery on a cavernous malformation in his brain back in March. The 20-year-old said that he is already going some running and throwing along with physical and occupational therapy four days a week. Westmoreland noted that none of his doctors has presented any sort of timetable regarding his return to playing baseball. Ron Westmoreland said after the shock of the initial diagnosis and surgery, every day "has been positive," noting that his son was up and walking during his second day in intensive care.



"I keep hearing from pretty much every doctor that the progress is what they term remarkable. Only three months out I feel like I'm doing things that are above the limits of what the doctors thought. The therapists themselves are setting goals for me and I'm breaking those goals earlier than they expected. From a general perspective I'm definitely getting better. I don't stop setting goals for myself and neither do they and it's good because it keeps me going and I want to break through those goals earlier," said Westmoreland, who said both he, the trainers, and doctor were "stunned" after tests revealed the condition considering there was no pain or headaches involved in his initial symptoms.

[Back Bay]

audio from the conference
http://hadlockheadli...conference.html

[The Mainahh]

Still a long, long road for young RWML to travel but its good to see such progress. Love the story about how he met his current girlfriend btw, great minor league stuff.

[ypioca]

That's amazing. Seeing how determined he is to coming back is very encouraging, and the progress he's made so quickly is nothing short of hugely impressive.

[SoxScout]

"It feels great. Even just watching on TV's great. To come here and hang out with the guys and hang out with my family and girlfriend is definitley different than being in the stands or being up in the box. To be down here in the dugout is special," Westmoreland said.

Westmoreland's coordination and motor function improve daily, and he said he has made significant improvements in moving from general rehab to baseball activities in the past few weeks.

"We're doing some throwing," Westmoreland said. "I'm out to 60 feet and accuracy is close to 100. I've been doing some home-to-home [running] around the bases and hard sprints to first. It's good just because I know two weeks ago I couldn't do that kind of stuff, and to be doing it now and feeling good about it and feeling good afterwards, feeling like I got a really good workout, it's good to feel."

http://soxblog.projo...oreland-fa.html

[EdRalphRomero]

When they cut to him during the game today, it almost looked like he had the facial sagging I would associate with a stroke victim -- like part of his face was just not in his muscular control. Is he really battling that? Or was it just a strange angle/expression?

[SoxScout]

When they cut to him during the game today, it almost looked like he had the facial sagging I would associate with a stroke victim -- like part of his face was just not in his muscular control. Is he really battling that? Or was it just a strange angle/expression?

It's been like that since the surgery.

[mikeford]

Westmoreland tweeted about 2 hours ago that he would be hitting off a tee for the first time today.

Wonderful news from a quality of life and baseball standpoint. Everyone's a winner.

[amarshal2]

http://www.soxprospe...estmoreland.wmv

[Brianish]

http://www.soxprospe...estmoreland.wmv

Wow, that kid is something else.

[BannedbyNYYFans.com]

http://www.soxprospe...estmoreland.wmv

So fucking cool.

[Wake's knuckle]

So fucking cool.

Indeed. Awesome to see him progressing like this. I am very happy for him and his family.

[Beomoose]

Wow, that kid is something else.

Agreed. Glad he's on our side.

[backpeddling]

That is an incredibly inspiring video. Nice work, Ryan.

[Brianish]

He's what, four months removed from being unable to write his name? Maybe? That's seriously incredible stuff.

The batspeed is what really catches the eye.

Edited by Brianish, 17 July 2010 - 10:34 PM.

[RobertTillman]

http://www.soxprospe...estmoreland.wmv

Is that video from a few days ago, or is that old footage?

[amarshal2]

Is that video from a few days ago, or is that old footage?

That video is from Wednesday July 14th 2010. His father (Ron Westmoreland) took the video and sent it to Mike Andrews, the owner of SoxProspects.com, who posted it with Ron's permission.

Edited by amarshal2, 19 July 2010 - 01:23 PM.

[RobertTillman]

That video is from Wednesday July 14th 2010. His father (Ron Westmoreland) took the video and sent it to Mike Andrews, the owner of SoxProspects.com, who posted it with Ron's permission.

Wow, that is awesome. Thanks!!

[FelixMantilla]

Westmoreland fighting to get back to the field

WEST WARWICK — Ryan Westmoreland spent his Sunday afternoon patrolling the first-base dugout at McCarthy Stadium as best as he could with the cane he uses for walking around, offering instructions as an assistant with the R&R Construction Legion team from Newport.
But, just being back in the dugout in some form was definitely some solace for the former all-state product from Portsmouth High School, whose trek to making the Red Sox roster hit quite a road block earlier this year.

[steveluck7]

Westmoreland fighting to get back to the field

Anyone have any clue to what degree he needs the cane? His balance looked fine hitting off the tee in the video posted a week ago.

[Brianish]

I've been thinking. If Westmoreland makes it back to baseball, can we agree to refer to him as "The General"?

[FelixMantilla]

More Progress for Ryan Westmoreland

The Red Sox received another promising update on minor leaguer Ryan Westmoreland, receiving word that he is showing improvements in many areas in his ongoing recovery from brain surgery in March. The 20-year-old is now running, doing some throwing and he has progressed to swinging off a tee and taking some soft toss, according to a baseball source.

The Rhode Islander had said that it is his goal to take part in the Fall Instructional League in some capacity (even if not playing in games). Based on the medical reports on his rehab to date, it appears there is a good likelihood that he will be able to fulfill that goal as he continues to increase his baseball activities.

[luckysox]

More Progress for Ryan Westmoreland

Fantastic to hear. Kid's a warrior.

[someoneanywhere]

I've been thinking. If Westmoreland makes it back to baseball, can we agree to refer to him as "The General"?

I'm not sure the kid would want to fight the kind of battle it's going to take to win this thing and then be tagged with that, no?

[Brianish]

I'm not sure the kid would want to fight the kind of battle it's going to take to win this thing and then be tagged with that, no?

Alas, it works so well though.

Mike Hazen just said on his webcast that Westmoreland plans to head to Lowell and Greenville for their respective last series and work out with the clubs.

Seriously, the kid can't possibly be human.

Edited by Brianish, 18 August 2010 - 11:28 AM.

[SoxScout]

Westy said on his Twitter last night that he spent the day with Jeremy Schaap and E60. That should be a great segment.

[ypioca]

Alas, it works so well though.

Mike Hazen just said on his webcast that Westmoreland plans to head to Lowell and Greenville for their respective last series and work out with the clubs.

Seriously, the kid can't possibly be human.

No kidding.

I know it's a cliche, but "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" is right. If this kid's work ethic was already great before the whole thing, it got 1000x better as a result of overcoming this unbelievable ordeal. He seems to want to play more than anyone alive. It's really stunning.

[RobertTillman]

Headed to Lowell tomorrow, to supposedly work out with the team.

[JakeRae]

Because there is always time for another story on Ryan Westmoreland, http://www.projo.com...v2.22a4b8d.html.

I still hope to one day be able to make a Ryan Westmoreland uniform be the first Red Sox uniform I will have ever owned.